KATHLEEN Dutton 2020
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Biography
Born in London in the swinging 60’s, I grew up amongst the busy urban buzz of London life, I had a talent for art while at school, and won competitions and was encouraged to do a Art Foundation course. That course changed everything for me. It was here that I was introduced to the world of the Constructivists, and the Bauhaus movement and met with critical thinking. Meanwhile, a rising punk scene and the new romantic’s music played in the background. I always have a special place in my heart for Kandinsky and Maholy Nagy, their use of space, and composition the starkness, there vision fit with the dystopian rebellion of the punk years. As the world of the arts revealed itself to me I became alive, full of energy and enthusiasm: Music, Theatre, Galleries. I absolutely loved it then and still do.
I decided to do BA Hon’s Degree in Graphic Design at Middlesex University; my design was highly illustrative, full of inky mark making, words and image together within poetry or a narrative. During my early years as an artist I was attracted to the dark tragedy and sadness of life's drama, it pulled me in and my painting reflected it. The process of making art allowed me to see how I felt, I could check in with myself by spending time alone with ink and paper, it would soothe my soul.
I left home, worked hard and enjoyed life, going to parties, clubs and exhibitions. I started exhibiting my work during the early 80’s, in London, and continued painting and exhibiting and partying, whilst in Hong Kong, and later in Tokyo. In the mid 80’s I moved to Hong Kong to work for Conran Design Group a multidisciplinary design company, it was a lot of fun and the people I met at that time became good friends, we worked together but also socialised together: architects, artists, and designers. I met a number of talented journalists and writers too. In the end I spent just a little over eleven years in Hong Kong and became a resident in 1996.
In Hong Kong there was an abundance of creative work for me, art direction, commissions, and illustration. I travelled widely and was never without my sketchbook, I learnt to observe and document life as it revealed itself. I explored Chinese art and calligraphy, Tai Chi, Chi Gong and Zen Yoga and learnt about Taoism and its connection to shamanism, ancestors in the otherworld. The magic and dynamism of calligraphic writing always around me, the colours and this culture that were not mine somehow soaked through into my very being.
My painting at this time was figurative, dance and music and a trip to America and Central America produced a rucksack full of sketchbooks and textiles led me to produce body of work that was full of colour and vibrancy. Particularly fascinated by Guatemala, Belize and Mayan ancient history I included hieroglyphs and sculptural elements into my art. I was influenced by Bruce Chatwin’s book ‘Songlines’ stories of the Australian outback, the aboriginal dreamtime the idea of the ancestors being accessible through art and story, their cultural wisdom captured my imagination: and touched my heart, the idea that the more we ran away the longer it would take for your soul to find you resonated with me.
I discovered meditation in South East Asia over 20 years ago, although it was easy to learn, difficult for me to practice. It helped me, through it I discovered a way to navigate through my own life.
I was fascinated by the graphic symbolism and ancient origin of the Chinese Characters, so I studied the evolution of Chinese Characters at the ‘School of Oriental and African Studies’ and later a Masters Degree in Visual Communication at the ‘University of Central England’. I did an exhibition in London, Birmingham, Hong Kong and Tokyo titled ‘Female’. These paintings were abstract and expressive, using ancient Chinese characters for woman, man, life, birth from ancient times and exploring through painting ideas about fertility and growth. My work had changed dramatically, striving to simplify, taking on board all I had learnt about symbolism and the powerful and expressive nature of calligraphy and its form. The stories of ancient history, language, philosophy and anthropology took me on visual adventures of discovery and decipherment. Yet, it is the simplicity and quality of mark making that I find magical.
I have always been impressed by the simplicity of thought expressed through calligraphy and the elegance of Zen philosophy. I liked the idea that the act of mark making brought mind and body together, a still point within the action. It was like coming home.
In 1999 I moved back to London, got married, became a mother. I taught at Westminster University in that first year returning to the UK I found it hard, I felt like an outsider, I had to re-adjust. To fit in I had to adapt, to find a place for myself. When I joined Skylark Galleries an artist run gallery on London’s Southbank a new sense of purpose and community emerged, once again my painting lurched between abstract and figurative alternatively. I am ok with that; it’s all part of the process.
This is my 50th year of life and I would not say life has got easier, there are just as many challenges now as at any time before, maybe more. I learnt who I am and how to stay in one place, to be still; I know that my soul has caught up with me now. The lessons I have learnt translate daily into my experiences and art, the darkness and light side by side. I choose the action of creativity, to achieve peace of mind…. and if I get lost I tune into myself and paint. I often paint myself and the other characters in my paintings with dramatic lighting, they are on the stage of life I call the light garden. The people I paint are emerging into or out from the light, this is where I am observing all aspects of myself.
I decided to do BA Hon’s Degree in Graphic Design at Middlesex University; my design was highly illustrative, full of inky mark making, words and image together within poetry or a narrative. During my early years as an artist I was attracted to the dark tragedy and sadness of life's drama, it pulled me in and my painting reflected it. The process of making art allowed me to see how I felt, I could check in with myself by spending time alone with ink and paper, it would soothe my soul.
I left home, worked hard and enjoyed life, going to parties, clubs and exhibitions. I started exhibiting my work during the early 80’s, in London, and continued painting and exhibiting and partying, whilst in Hong Kong, and later in Tokyo. In the mid 80’s I moved to Hong Kong to work for Conran Design Group a multidisciplinary design company, it was a lot of fun and the people I met at that time became good friends, we worked together but also socialised together: architects, artists, and designers. I met a number of talented journalists and writers too. In the end I spent just a little over eleven years in Hong Kong and became a resident in 1996.
In Hong Kong there was an abundance of creative work for me, art direction, commissions, and illustration. I travelled widely and was never without my sketchbook, I learnt to observe and document life as it revealed itself. I explored Chinese art and calligraphy, Tai Chi, Chi Gong and Zen Yoga and learnt about Taoism and its connection to shamanism, ancestors in the otherworld. The magic and dynamism of calligraphic writing always around me, the colours and this culture that were not mine somehow soaked through into my very being.
My painting at this time was figurative, dance and music and a trip to America and Central America produced a rucksack full of sketchbooks and textiles led me to produce body of work that was full of colour and vibrancy. Particularly fascinated by Guatemala, Belize and Mayan ancient history I included hieroglyphs and sculptural elements into my art. I was influenced by Bruce Chatwin’s book ‘Songlines’ stories of the Australian outback, the aboriginal dreamtime the idea of the ancestors being accessible through art and story, their cultural wisdom captured my imagination: and touched my heart, the idea that the more we ran away the longer it would take for your soul to find you resonated with me.
I discovered meditation in South East Asia over 20 years ago, although it was easy to learn, difficult for me to practice. It helped me, through it I discovered a way to navigate through my own life.
I was fascinated by the graphic symbolism and ancient origin of the Chinese Characters, so I studied the evolution of Chinese Characters at the ‘School of Oriental and African Studies’ and later a Masters Degree in Visual Communication at the ‘University of Central England’. I did an exhibition in London, Birmingham, Hong Kong and Tokyo titled ‘Female’. These paintings were abstract and expressive, using ancient Chinese characters for woman, man, life, birth from ancient times and exploring through painting ideas about fertility and growth. My work had changed dramatically, striving to simplify, taking on board all I had learnt about symbolism and the powerful and expressive nature of calligraphy and its form. The stories of ancient history, language, philosophy and anthropology took me on visual adventures of discovery and decipherment. Yet, it is the simplicity and quality of mark making that I find magical.
I have always been impressed by the simplicity of thought expressed through calligraphy and the elegance of Zen philosophy. I liked the idea that the act of mark making brought mind and body together, a still point within the action. It was like coming home.
In 1999 I moved back to London, got married, became a mother. I taught at Westminster University in that first year returning to the UK I found it hard, I felt like an outsider, I had to re-adjust. To fit in I had to adapt, to find a place for myself. When I joined Skylark Galleries an artist run gallery on London’s Southbank a new sense of purpose and community emerged, once again my painting lurched between abstract and figurative alternatively. I am ok with that; it’s all part of the process.
This is my 50th year of life and I would not say life has got easier, there are just as many challenges now as at any time before, maybe more. I learnt who I am and how to stay in one place, to be still; I know that my soul has caught up with me now. The lessons I have learnt translate daily into my experiences and art, the darkness and light side by side. I choose the action of creativity, to achieve peace of mind…. and if I get lost I tune into myself and paint. I often paint myself and the other characters in my paintings with dramatic lighting, they are on the stage of life I call the light garden. The people I paint are emerging into or out from the light, this is where I am observing all aspects of myself.
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